Fabricated farinaceous products prepared from starch-based flours are well known in the art. Preparing such products from dehydrated ingredients offers certain advantages such as homogeneity, uniformity and control of the end product. The food processor encounters several problems when formulating doughs used to prepare such products. For example, although a cohesive sheetable dough may be formed, the dough typically falls apart or tears when sheeted at high speeds. Additionally, variability in the physical properties of the dehydrated ingredients, in particular the flakes, often produces doughs that are sticky, tacky or gummy. This often leads to down time on processing lines and additional ingredient costs.
There are several problems associated with the physical properties of conventional potato flakes and with the processes used to make such flakes. One significant problem with conventional flakes is related to the variability in the physical properties of the flakes produced from potatoes. These variations are influenced by many factors such as types of potatoes used to make the flakes, the season in which the potatoes are grown, when the potatoes are harvested, the area where the potatoes are grown, and the length of time the potatoes are stored. These variations, up to now, have resulted in large variability between flake lots made from the potatoes.
The physical properties necessary in a flake used to formulate a dough for making fabricated farinaceous products have gone unrecognized or unappreciated. While conventional processes try to minimize broken cells, it has been found that flakes comprising from about 40% to about 60% broken cells are desirable from a sheeting standpoint. Further, it has been found that controlling the difference between hot paste viscosity and cold paste viscosity improves processability, even though conventional processes do not place any importance on this particular physical property. It has also been found that a low water absorption is desirable in a flake used for making a dough. Conventional processes suggest that a high water absorption index is desirable.
Conventional methods for processing potatoes into dehydrated products have not allowed potato processors to produce suitable flakes from potatoes of different variety, different compositions or from potato by-products (e.g., potato pieces left over from French fry processes) or potatoes from the beginning and end of season. Even when the same variety of potatoes are used, there is an inability to consistently control the physical properties of the flakes by processing.
Several processes for making dehydrated potato flakes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,787,533 issued to Cording et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,009,817 issued to Hendel, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,260 issued to Shatilla et al. These patents disclose a process for preparing flakes from raw whole potatoes or conventional potato flakes but not from slivers and nubbins. Further, these processes provide very few, if any, special measures that are designed to assure limited variability in the physical properties of flakes. For example, prior to being cooked, the potatoes are often pre-conditioned. The blanching toughens the potato cells, requires more energy to thoroughly cook the potatoes and makes uniform cooking of the potato pieces difficult. Additionally, the sequence of blanching, cooling, and cooking, as suggested by many processes, increases retrogradation of starch and restricts the release of amylose and/or causes complexation of the free starch needed to form a cohesive machineable dough sheet. Moreover, cooking at high temperatures and/or high steam pressures for short times or even at 212.degree. F. (100.degree. C.) for short times can result in potato flakes that are under-cooked (e.g. raw or cooked on the outer surface) or over-cooked (e.g. having weak, swollen cells that will rupture during subsequent processing).
One process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,094 issued to O'Neil, makes dehydrated flakes by separating potatoes into two groups during the initial processing. Later the two groups of flakes are blended to make dehydrated flakes, which have a texture and quality similar to freshly prepared mashed potatoes when reconstituted. According to the O'Neil patent, potato flakes made from mash having free starch throughout are pasty and undesirable. Further, retrogradation of starch is encouraged. Although the flakes may be suitable for the consumer to prepare mashed potatoes, the potato flakes, due to their low level of free starch (amylose) and high water absorption index, are not desirable for the production of doughs from which fabricated farinaceous products are made.
It can be seen that conventional processes are unsatisfactory for making or providing dehydrated flakes having desirable properties.
A need exists for potato flakes made from various potatoes and potato by-products. Another need exists for potato flakes having controlled physical properties that are suitable for use in making farinaceous fabricated products. Further, a need exists for potato flakes and for a method of producing potato flakes wherein the differences in performance from lot to lot is minimized.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a process for making dehydrated potato flakes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide potato flakes particularly suitable for doughs used to make fabricated farinaceous products.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide potato flakes having substantially improved processing qualities over conventionally-produced flakes.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following disclosure and claims.